Killer Creep Feeder

[Hooby Farmer]

Two Sundays ago, found a dead lamb about 5m outside the creep feeder, thought nothing of it. The next Tuesday, another dead lamb this time inside the feeder. Wondering to myself whats going on now. Checked the feeder for dirt etc inside the hopper. All the lambs are up to date with Heptavac, drenches, pour on etc field walked everyday. Filled up the hopper and put it down to bad luck. That friday afternoon not one but two dead inside it, thinking what the F is going on, too late to send to the lab. Have not used this creep all week, no dead lambs since Friday. Whatever it was has passed.
Only last night i tipped a bucket into it to watch out of curiosity, maybe im i over thinking this etc......another dead lamb this morning!!!!! 5 Dead lambs all around the one feeder apprx 35-40kg weight, gates wide open so not getting trapped, access to water. There are two feeders in the field 50m apart, but they have all died near or inside this one particular feeder.

Whats going on guys any ideas? never seen anything like it before.

 

[livestock 1]

Two Sundays ago, found a dead lamb about 5m outside the creep feeder, thought nothing of it. The next Tuesday, another dead lamb this time inside the feeder. Wondering to myself whats going on now. Checked the feeder for dirt etc inside the hopper. All the lambs are up to date with Heptavac, drenches, pour on etc field walked everyday. Filled up the hopper and put it down to bad luck. That friday afternoon not one but two dead inside it, thinking what the F is going on, too late to send to the lab. Have not used this creep all week, no dead lambs since Friday. Whatever it was has passed.
Only last night i tipped a bucket into it to watch out of curiosity, maybe im i over thinking this etc......another dead lamb this morning!!!!! 5 Dead lambs all around the one feeder apprx 35-40kg weight, gates wide open so not getting trapped, access to water. There are two feeders in the field 50m apart, but they have all died near or inside this one particular feeder.

Whats going on guys any ideas? never seen anything like it before.

Sell the feeder to someone you’re not keen of

 

[Cowcalf]

what your putting in the feeder could be the problem some feeds need introducing slowly

 

[Hooby Farmer]

Sell the feeder to someone you’re not keen of

Cutting it up tomorrow!

what your putting in the feeder could be the problem some feeds need introducing slowly

Been fed the same stuff the last two months.

Nothing in it since yesterday emptied it..
....went out 5 mins ago just been thinking about it since I've been typing my post........two more dead barsteward lambs! Only there is a campsite beside it I fell like tracking the digger over and squashing the thing. Im gutted!!

 

[milkloss]

Maybe clean it out and disinfect it? Licking paint?

 

[Pan mixer]

Eating loads more creep as grass and milk drying up? acidosis or perhaps red gut.

 

[bobajob]

It’s probably nothing to do with the feeder. It might just be where they go when not feeling right/ unwell. Pasteurella?

 

[tepapa]

Remove the feeder from the field asap if only to make you feel better. If lambs are still dying then it's maybe not the feeder at fault. Could well be clostridial, acidosis or something poisonous they've found to eat.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Any chance of electric shocks ?

 

[twizzel]

Any chance of electric shocks ?

That’s what passed through my mind too

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Just thinking of the campsite and cables etc.

 

[Kazak]

Have you been getting meal in different batches??
Sometimes they change the ration a bit ( and not necessarily tell you )... and can affect lambs a lot.. producing more acidosis, triggering clostridials and the likes.
Similar Happened to us last year... ended up finishing them in troughs [emoji30][emoji30]
After a lot of head scratching thats the reason i came up as ( like yourself) could not figure out the problem.
Found powder magnesium good for the survivors that were found 50/50..
Your case might b different though..

 

[farmeronecow]

Have you been letting the feeder go empty? Could be rushing for the feeder once they know it’s been filled and suffocating each other? (Had one do this last year!)

 

[Downton_shep]

My first thought was suffocating due to pushing after the feeder has been filled. But if it never goes empty and there’s two it won’t be that. Get a pm done. If it is a faulty feeder you might be able to put in a claim.

 

[Longlowdog]

With the changeable weather could you have had a nemo/cocci flush? Are any of your lambs noticeably hanging round the watering? If I notice lambs round my troughs it is deffo time for a wormer. It was the main thing I noticed when I was hit by the perfect nemo-cocci storm that wiped out a heap of my lambs. Is the trough by the watering and could it be they are just attracted to the feeder for somewhere to lie down and die?
I'm no expert, just putting it out there to hopefully add something to your thought process.

 

[John Chance]

Might be feed. Might not be. Might be Clostridial. Might not be. Post Mortem is critical.

 

[Fendt516profi]

Two Sundays ago, found a dead lamb about 5m outside the creep feeder, thought nothing of it. The next Tuesday, another dead lamb this time inside the feeder. Wondering to myself whats going on now. Checked the feeder for dirt etc inside the hopper. All the lambs are up to date with Heptavac, drenches, pour on etc field walked everyday. Filled up the hopper and put it down to bad luck. That friday afternoon not one but two dead inside it, thinking what the F is going on, too late to send to the lab. Have not used this creep all week, no dead lambs since Friday. Whatever it was has passed.
Only last night i tipped a bucket into it to watch out of curiosity, maybe im i over thinking this etc......another dead lamb this morning!!!!! 5 Dead lambs all around the one feeder apprx 35-40kg weight, gates wide open so not getting trapped, access to water. There are two feeders in the field 50m apart, but they have all died near or inside this one particular feeder.

Whats going on guys any ideas? never seen anything like it before.

I was thinking is the feeder new and painted you putting the same feed in the other feeder

 

[Hooby Farmer]

The more I think about it, they could be suffocating it's the only logical answer. There's no electrical current, dosed about three week ago, there is nothing else it could be.

 

[Hooby Farmer]

I was thinking is the feeder new and painted you putting the same feed in the other feeder

Same feeders both about 5 year old, same feed. If they are suffocating why just this one and not both.

 

[Princess Pooper]

I was thinking clostridial, is there bare ground around the feeder? Picking up a bit of dirt? Also, are any birds managing to get in the feeder? Given the number that you are losing, I really do think you should get a PM done.